A Twenty-something's reasoning for why our young American golfers are stinking it up
Friday January 19, 2007 | 04:56:25 pm 359 words, 2176 views
When a teenager’s 20th place finish is the only thing to get excited about regarding U.S. golfers under 30, you have a colossal problem.
As the only writer on this blog board in tune with the pulse of young golf in America and most likely the only one who isn’t eligible for the Champions’ Tour, I feel it is my duty to acknowledge why my generation has pulled up so very, very lame on the PGA Tour and is being lapped by the Europeans in both wins not to mention personality and on-course fashion.
Here are some theories:
1. Our parents coddled our generation on posh country clubs to the point of suffocation. As a result, we are soft. Sure, we can light it up for a 66 on our home course or in good conditions. But when money is on the line, we ain’t got it, compared to our fellows overseas who play on more diverse courses and more difficult weather. We also are so wrapped up in changing drivers that will give us five more yards we forget to practice on the essentials.
2. Tiger is so good, our generation figured they couldn’t catch him, so no one tried. Tiger Woods and Roger Federer are really the only ridiculously dominant athletes right now. What’s the point trying to be the best in a sport where greatness is currently at its peak? Our true young talents are trying to be the new MJ in the NBA or the new Gretzky in the NHL.
3. MTV. MTV succeeded in brain-numbing our generation with programs like Real World, Real World/Road Rules Challenge, Best of Real World and Real World Reunion. It has spawned a generation hooked on watching poorly written reality television, thus stunting their creativity on the course and around the green.
4. Internet. Why should I be out honing my wedge game when I can create hip Myspace profiles, virtually PC game online with friends from all the way across the street and spread rumors about Lindsay Lohan’s drug habits?
5. Rap music and hip-hop culture. Buying khakis three sizes too big and sagging them halfway down our rump causes poor swing posture.
Comments, Pingbacks:
Comment from: Mark Nessmith [Visitor] · http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/mark.nessmith
No. 5 is right on the money, Junior.
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01/19/07 @ 17:44
Comment from: sid [Visitor]
Lets not forget that No.5 is kept alive by "whites only".
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01/19/07 @ 19:32
Comment from: Judge Smails [Visitor]
Any white kid who dresses like a "gangsta" should be caned Singapore style. Idiots.
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01/19/07 @ 20:51
Comment from: Kiel Christianson [Visitor]
Haven't you heard that 40 is the new 20? In which case, I've got 30 years till
the Champs Tour. And, if I'm doing the math right, you are indeed the only blogger here in the 4th grade. :)
the Champs Tour. And, if I'm doing the math right, you are indeed the only blogger here in the 4th grade. :)
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01/20/07 @ 00:24
Comment from: Eye On Golf [Visitor]
BT, What an insult! Those of us more experienced in life would love to keep our finger on the pulse of young golf in the U.S. Problem is the pulse does not exist. As for the Champions Tour, well, that's a blog of its own. And I really am looking for khakis three sizes too big. I had some from my days in the Army but they have mysteriously shrunken.
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01/20/07 @ 07:11
Comment from: Spencer Hux [Visitor]
I know I haven't been showing my face around here lately, but I've got a few
years before I need to be worrying about the champions tour.
I've got a number 6 to add about why our peers are worthless- Not only
parents, but also schools have gotten away from teaching kids that life isn't always fair,
different rules apply for different people, and that the best way to learn
is to fail. Schools today are afraid to fail students in ANYHING because of the
repercussions of "No Child Left Behind."
Oh- and number 7: Our generation is really the first to grow up in the "Golf
Channel" era, giving us instant access to "swing fixes." Hearing so many different
theories on technique has forced our generation to get away from learning
to score because we're so stuck on swing positions.
years before I need to be worrying about the champions tour.
I've got a number 6 to add about why our peers are worthless- Not only
parents, but also schools have gotten away from teaching kids that life isn't always fair,
different rules apply for different people, and that the best way to learn
is to fail. Schools today are afraid to fail students in ANYHING because of the
repercussions of "No Child Left Behind."
Oh- and number 7: Our generation is really the first to grow up in the "Golf
Channel" era, giving us instant access to "swing fixes." Hearing so many different
theories on technique has forced our generation to get away from learning
to score because we're so stuck on swing positions.
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01/20/07 @ 10:48
Comment from: Judge Smails [Visitor]
Spencer,
I agree with what you said about the schools, but if you blame it on "No Child Left Behind," your youth and limited frame of historical reference betray you. Spencer, this has been going on for DECADES now; it has nothing to do with an act instituted a few years ago.
In fact, if one piece of legislation were the only problem, the situation could be remedied easily enough. The problem is that this is something that runs far and deep, having to do with a philosophy of permissiveness and politically correctness that reigns in our civlilization.
What is true is that No Child Left Behind can't resurrect good education any more than throwing more money at the schools can. And anyone who believes otherwise is wrong and naive.
I agree with what you said about the schools, but if you blame it on "No Child Left Behind," your youth and limited frame of historical reference betray you. Spencer, this has been going on for DECADES now; it has nothing to do with an act instituted a few years ago.
In fact, if one piece of legislation were the only problem, the situation could be remedied easily enough. The problem is that this is something that runs far and deep, having to do with a philosophy of permissiveness and politically correctness that reigns in our civlilization.
What is true is that No Child Left Behind can't resurrect good education any more than throwing more money at the schools can. And anyone who believes otherwise is wrong and naive.
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01/20/07 @ 14:01
Comment from: Brandon Tucker [Visitor] · http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker
Good points, Spencer. I actually just wrote a WG column that dances around the issue of young people thinking they're owed ANYTHING:
http://www.worldgolf.com/column/michelle-wie-birds-bees-4866.htm
We have a toughness problem. I've remarked recently to some friends I think if there was a draft in America, there wouldn't be such a big demonstration from my generation. Instead, we'd maybe bitch about it to our friends on instant messenger, then ask mom and dad to complain or get us out of it for us. Personal responsibility is dying. It's always someone else's problem. Our childhood has been just a bit too cushy.
Hey Kiel, maybe if you shaved the beard for your pic I wouldn't think you were Champion's Tour material.
Sid, your comment, while somewhat generalized, isn't inaccurate.
http://www.worldgolf.com/column/michelle-wie-birds-bees-4866.htm
We have a toughness problem. I've remarked recently to some friends I think if there was a draft in America, there wouldn't be such a big demonstration from my generation. Instead, we'd maybe bitch about it to our friends on instant messenger, then ask mom and dad to complain or get us out of it for us. Personal responsibility is dying. It's always someone else's problem. Our childhood has been just a bit too cushy.
Hey Kiel, maybe if you shaved the beard for your pic I wouldn't think you were Champion's Tour material.
Sid, your comment, while somewhat generalized, isn't inaccurate.
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01/20/07 @ 14:30
Comment from: Booger [Visitor]
I think I can sum it up in one sentence:
We are a nation of pussies.
We are a nation of pussies.
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01/20/07 @ 17:41
Comment from: Judge Smails [Visitor]
Hey, Brandon, we've often locked horns, but BRAVO. I didn't expect such a sentiment to come from you and, truly, I mean no offense by that.
I'll also add that, barring an invasion by China, there will never be a draft. This is because any politician who had a hand in re-instituting it wouldn't be in office long.
Booger, although I would have put it more genteelly, you characterization does boil it down to its bare essence.
I'll also add that, barring an invasion by China, there will never be a draft. This is because any politician who had a hand in re-instituting it wouldn't be in office long.
Booger, although I would have put it more genteelly, you characterization does boil it down to its bare essence.
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01/20/07 @ 18:01
Comment from: Spencer Hux [Visitor]
Judge,
I'm sure you're right that it has been going on for years, and I know that
No Child Left Behind, considering it is only in its 4th or 5th year, can't have
been responsible for all of the problems. As a former high school teacher, I just
like to take a shot at it whenever I can.
I'm sure you're right that it has been going on for years, and I know that
No Child Left Behind, considering it is only in its 4th or 5th year, can't have
been responsible for all of the problems. As a former high school teacher, I just
like to take a shot at it whenever I can.
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01/21/07 @ 00:37
Comment from: tim [Visitor] · http://www.travelgolf.com
My parents' generation was called the Greatest Generation, with good reason. They had to struggle.
My generation is a lot softer and more pliable.
Brandon's generation is even a bigger sugar-baby. They have TV for brains and their soft and gooey.
The trend doesn't suprise me, but the rapidity in which each generation degenerates is worrisome.
What will the children of Brandon's generation be like?
Flat-panel foreheads with marshmallow centers.
My generation is a lot softer and more pliable.
Brandon's generation is even a bigger sugar-baby. They have TV for brains and their soft and gooey.
The trend doesn't suprise me, but the rapidity in which each generation degenerates is worrisome.
What will the children of Brandon's generation be like?
Flat-panel foreheads with marshmallow centers.
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01/21/07 @ 07:34
Comment from: Booger [Visitor]
No child left behind? Yes, WE just aren't trying hard enough.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ8uCZLAdt0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ8uCZLAdt0
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01/21/07 @ 13:39
Comment from: Judge Smails [Visitor]
Spencer,
The truth is that education is supposed to be within the purview of only local government. In fact, any intrusion into it by the Feds is unconstitutional. Thus, I'm against No Child Left Behind as well.
Of course, with as ill-educated as people are, they don't even know what's in the Constitution.
The truth is that education is supposed to be within the purview of only local government. In fact, any intrusion into it by the Feds is unconstitutional. Thus, I'm against No Child Left Behind as well.
Of course, with as ill-educated as people are, they don't even know what's in the Constitution.
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01/21/07 @ 13:40
Comment from: Judge Smails [Visitor]
Tim,
My father was a WWII veteran and POW in Germany, however, I still scoff at the notion that his was the "greatest generation." Poppycock. If they had been so great, they wouldn't have given us FDR and his unconstitutional, big government schemes, and they wouldn't have raised the flower children of the sixties.
The greatest American generation was the one that founded this nation. It's been all downhill from there.
My father was a WWII veteran and POW in Germany, however, I still scoff at the notion that his was the "greatest generation." Poppycock. If they had been so great, they wouldn't have given us FDR and his unconstitutional, big government schemes, and they wouldn't have raised the flower children of the sixties.
The greatest American generation was the one that founded this nation. It's been all downhill from there.
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01/21/07 @ 13:43
Comment from: Booger [Visitor]
The Judge is taking no prisoners! Yes, the "greatest generation" religion are the same folks who let the sixties happen without firing a shot. The greatest indeed were the founders, with honorable mention to those who tried to put a stop to the revolution that
began in 1861.
began in 1861.
Permalink
01/21/07 @ 18:30
Comment from: RonMon [Visitor] · http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/ron.mon
There is no "greatest generation." All histories are flawed to a high degree, are viewed with great time separation, and are inhaled with rose-scented mist. We are who we are, now and only now, and can impact now and only now. It's time for some young golfers, younger than Eldrick, to wear their blood on their sleeves.
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01/21/07 @ 23:27
Comment from: Judge Smails [Visitor]
RonMon,
What a quintessentially leftist sentiment. I suppose it justifies revisionist history in one's mind when he believes that history is all just a fiction anyway. Perhaps you're incapable of developing a sound grasp of the past , but there are some of us who possess greater capacities.
The Founding Fathers were human but great men nonetheless, and if you can't understand their contribution, you're quite dull.
Booger,
Yes, Lincoln, although well-meaning, perpetrated an unconstitutional act that sparked the bloodiest war in American history. There was nothing in the Constitution in 1861 that prohibited a state from seceding. As Walter Williams (who is a black man, I might add) once said, "The South was right to secede; furthermore, some governor today ought to get up the guts and try it again." I wholeheartedly agree.
What a quintessentially leftist sentiment. I suppose it justifies revisionist history in one's mind when he believes that history is all just a fiction anyway. Perhaps you're incapable of developing a sound grasp of the past , but there are some of us who possess greater capacities.
The Founding Fathers were human but great men nonetheless, and if you can't understand their contribution, you're quite dull.
Booger,
Yes, Lincoln, although well-meaning, perpetrated an unconstitutional act that sparked the bloodiest war in American history. There was nothing in the Constitution in 1861 that prohibited a state from seceding. As Walter Williams (who is a black man, I might add) once said, "The South was right to secede; furthermore, some governor today ought to get up the guts and try it again." I wholeheartedly agree.
Permalink
01/22/07 @ 00:22
Comment from: Mr. Wonderful [Visitor]
From the mouth of Mr. Butch Harmon at the PGA Show in Vegas last September;
"I'll tell you why we no longer dominate the Ryder Cup. It starts with the kids. We did a clinic in England, the most miserable day you could have imagined. The ground was soaked, it was about 40 degrees. The range and turf was terrible. We had about 40 kids scheduled to be at the clinic. 39 out of the 40 showed and stood out there with it raining sideways working hard. If the same was held here, maybe 1 out of 40 would be out there".
Enough said, thank you Mr. Harmon... Come to think of it, at the PGA Show, to hear Mr. Harmon, there were probably no more than 40 or 50 people present to hear him out of how many members and apprentices?
"I'll tell you why we no longer dominate the Ryder Cup. It starts with the kids. We did a clinic in England, the most miserable day you could have imagined. The ground was soaked, it was about 40 degrees. The range and turf was terrible. We had about 40 kids scheduled to be at the clinic. 39 out of the 40 showed and stood out there with it raining sideways working hard. If the same was held here, maybe 1 out of 40 would be out there".
Enough said, thank you Mr. Harmon... Come to think of it, at the PGA Show, to hear Mr. Harmon, there were probably no more than 40 or 50 people present to hear him out of how many members and apprentices?
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01/23/07 @ 17:18
Comment from: Judge Smails [Visitor]
Mr. Wonderful,
I really don't care whether or not we're losing the Ryder Cup. What concerns me is that we're losing the Civilization Cup. And although many will scoff, I fear you'll find out how prescient I am sooner than you think.
I really don't care whether or not we're losing the Ryder Cup. What concerns me is that we're losing the Civilization Cup. And although many will scoff, I fear you'll find out how prescient I am sooner than you think.
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01/27/07 @ 15:58 Leave a comment:
Brandon Tucker
a WorldGolf.com Blog
WorldGolf.com blogger Brandon Tucker offers his unique perspective on golf and travel destinations from Scotland and Ireland to Myrtle Beach. He also chimes in on news events on the PGA and LPGA Tours, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and other happenings around the world of golf.
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